How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game

After Arvid joined, we increased our pace a bit. This was to avoid unnecessary trouble.

It was clear that a pursuit team would be sent, given that a dwarf was involved.

Of course, we were leaving the east, and it would take time for the other side to notice, so there wasn’t much of a problem.

The southeastern desert was right in front of us.

We sold our carriage in a border town near the desert region and simplified our luggage.

We also exchanged our horses for camels.

It’s possible to ride horses in the desert, but there’s no need to do so. We chose a slightly better option.

‘There’s also the issue of the horses’ stamina.’

We had been traveling at quite a pace, replacing horses every time we stopped at a city on the way here.

I inevitably took a small financial loss. That’s how it always is in border regions. It’s a kind of fee.

I’ll probably lose money again when we switch back to horses after leaving the desert region.

‘In reality, we’re buying convenience with money.’

I have plenty of money. I’ve accumulated quite a bit of money while dealing with Arachne. It’s enough to set up a base.

And very thankfully, Rina said I could use her personal funds.

I said I wouldn’t touch personal money, but she said she had nowhere to use it.

She said she liked stealing, not spending.

Still, I didn’t accept it. It’s better to refuse such things for the health of the organization.

It’s not good to make them think that the organization might take the money they’ve received in some way.

Anyway, we entered the desert. We’re still posing as mercenaries, but we’ve completely changed our clothes.

Thin cloth wrapping our bodies and head coverings like hijabs or turbans. This was because of the desert sun.

“Wow… It’s amazing? Is this the desert?”

“It feels like we’re walking on gold.”

The group marveled at the sight of the desert. I felt the same. It was my first time seeing a desert.

Everything as far as the eye could see was shining with a golden brown color.

It was similar to the southwestern plains, but also different. There, it was a darker ochre color with a lot of green visible.

Of course, the heat was expected. I could feel it gradually as we moved south.

If you draw a straight line on the map, it would be in a similar position to the southern part of the continent, but the temperature was much higher.

Dung beetles crawling on the ridge of the endless desert stretching up and down looked like black dots wriggling.

‘I’m also curious about the night sky.’

It was a widespread saying even on the continent that the night view in the desert is beautiful.

While more stars are visible here than on Earth anywhere, the desert is said to be even more special.

The desert landscape in front of me was beautiful, but of course, I was looking forward to this. It would be even better if we were lucky enough to see an aurora.

The aurora here is accompanied by massive magical effects and increases the mana familiarity of those who see it.

Anyway, I moved the Winds to protect the group from the heat. It’s an inconvenience we don’t need to endure.

Arvid was the only exception.

-I’m fine. With the Winds blocking, it actually feels a bit chilly. It’s warm and just right now.

True to being a dwarf who has lived in front of fire all their life, they showed strong resistance to heat, despite having a personality like a human.

In fact, although dwarves reside in the northeastern mountains, it’s not a good place for them to live.

Originally, they were in what is now imperial territory. They were pushed back and fled there.

But in addition to this, Jofor and Aron were also excluded from the protection of Winds. It was because of Denif.

“Hey, don’t do that for these kids.”

It started with a sudden remark.

Jofor and Aron, who had been quiet, rolled their eyes in surprise. I was equally puzzled.

“Why?”

“This is all training too, isn’t it? Huh? Building endurance to withstand extreme situations. Didn’t these guys do that?”

It sounds like a mental discipline thing. While the mind isn’t omnipotent, I somewhat agree with this view too.

It’s not that you only develop when you’re in such situations.

But when you do find yourself in such a situation someday, you can respond better than if it were your first time.

Still, I had a slight hesitation.

It felt like, is this really necessary? It’s not a training situation and it’s not dangerous, but you never know what might happen.

“Can we get stronger that way?”

The need for hesitation disappeared due to Aron and Jofor’s desire for strength.

“Of course. Hey, if it’s your first time when you’re extremely exhausted, it’ll be hard to cope, right?”

“Um… yes.”

“But you’ve already experienced such situations, right? Then you’ll know how much strength to use to properly extend your sword when you’re tired, how much to move your stride, right?”

Aron and Jofor’s eyes lit up at Denif’s words. The atmosphere was shifting.

They were already working hard, but as the kids learned more, they showed more of this attitude.

The more you know about nothingness, the more you realize how much you don’t know.

Well, it’s probably the same in other fields too. It’s similar to the Dunning-Kruger effect.

The more they learn from me and Denif, the more they realize how lacking they are.

After thinking for about 2 seconds, Aron and Jofor made eye contact and nodded simultaneously.

“Then we’ll follow your words, brother!”

“Hmm. It’ll be tough.”

“It’s okay!”

Despite my last attempt to dissuade them, both shouted energetically.

Taking it a step further, they got off the camels and started walking instead of riding.

Their feet will surely be hot…

I thought that, but I didn’t take the initiative to stop them. It’s their choice, after all.

“Huff… huff…”

As expected, in less than two hours, Aron and Jofor showed signs of fatigue. Their breathing became rough.

Marching in the desert is never easy.

The temperature rises above 50 degrees Celsius during the day. There’s no shade and the heat rising from below is considerable.

The soles of their feet will get hotter and hotter.

“You can’t drink water either. Hold out until I allow it.”

Still, Denif was watching carefully, perhaps proud of the kids who had made their own choice.

I think it’s a positive effect.

“Are you okay?”

“Me? Ah, of course.”

Of course, Arvid was an exception. They answered with a smile, showing no signs of fatigue at my question.

Dwarves have excellent stamina as a racial trait.

They had gotten off the camel and was walking along with the kids, saying they liked the heat rising from the ground.

Seeing Arvid’s reaction, Aron and Jofor seemed to have their competitive spirit ignited and tried their best to hide their fatigue.

‘But you can still see that they’re struggling.’

It must be pride. Arvid hasn’t even received proper training. I followed Denif in watching over the kids.

Still, we need to manage their stamina at a minimum level. If they completely collapse, the journey will become arduous.

***

Namir.

They were the one who made me come all the way to the distant southeastern desert. In the game, they were called the Children of the Desert.

Of course, they’re not children.

It’s just that those from the southeast who stood out after the game started were called that.

Namir was one of the top three among them. They mainly handle curved swords and short bows.

The reason their potential is limitless is because the person changes depending on how I utilize them.

‘While the big picture doesn’t change, I could raise them as a considerable warrior or assassin.’

The reason I specifically chose Namir among the Children of the Desert was because the rest weren’t trustworthy.

I know their talent, but unlike Namir, moving around here and there isn’t suitable for me.

From experience, Namir never betrayed. Once a trust relationship was formed, they showed enthusiasm for any task.

Of course, there was one thing that bothered me.

‘They have a quirky personality, in a different sense from the kids.’

When facing a problem, 99% of Namir’s solutions resulted in murder.

While playing the game, subordinates often give advice on specific issues.

-Let’s kill them.

-I think it would be better to kill them.

-Shall we kill them, Count?

-Ah, I killed that guy on the way here. There was a bit of a problem.

It’s not that Namir is a crazy pleasure-seeking murderer.

The problem was that this kid, who rarely speaks usually, solves all problems by killing.

In fact, it’s not such a bad method.

Nothing is as clean as killing. Although it sometimes causes trouble because of that.

‘I can take care of that.’

The problem is that I don’t know Namir’s exact location currently. It’s also before the game starts.

There’s hardly any information. All I know is that they’re from the southeastern desert city of Sonora.

Still, just knowing they’re from this area should allow me to find them in some way.

On the way to Sonora, we often encountered monsters.

Of course, they’re different from ordinary animals. Ants, snakes, antelopes, hyenas, desert foxes…

Some monsters from near the border areas were still roaming around normally even in the desert.

The monster ants were almost the size of small children. Their number was more of a problem than the strength of individual ones.

Of course, Aron and Jofor took charge of the battles. There were about two dangerous moments.

‘Rather, the hyenas and desert foxes were okay.’

One was when dealing with the ants. Aron and Jofor were almost overwhelmed by their numbers, and I had to help.

The other was with a desert sand viper.

A snake over 10m long, close to an anaconda, was hiding under the sand. I knew about it but didn’t warn them.

It was enough to instill a sense of caution in the kids.

-What was that earlier? Kuaghh! Was it a bit funny?

Aron, who was in front of the giant snake’s mouth, had screamed. Jofor teased him about it too.

Of course, I guarantee it would have been the same if it were the other way around. Although Aron’s pride was quite hurt.

Anyway, we arrived in Sonora. It was quite a large city for being in the desert.

Because it was geographically suitable for human habitation, there were some trees and bushes visible.

‘The city itself was quite pretty.’

The buildings, colored the same as the desert, shone golden in the daytime, creating quite a spectacle.

Although outsiders come and go due to monster hunting, this is inside the desert, so we attracted attention.

Because of this, we didn’t go looking for Namir during the day. Rather than giving us information, news that outsiders were looking for him would reach Namir first.

I just waited until night and then sought out the criminal organization I had spotted during the day.

‘These exist wherever you go.’

It’s the cleanest job.

I can’t do this in places where we need to stay for a long time, but since we’ll leave here after finding them, there are no future consequences.

Raiding a criminal organization was several times easier than dealing with monsters. We also have Denif, who specializes in this.

I was able to meet the leader of the organization in less than 2 minutes.

As Denif smashed the door with his foot and entered, a man wearing a turban immediately put his hands together and bowed.

Still, the leader here was quite quick-witted.

“W-what distinguished guests are you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

The bearded leader hurriedly bowed his head at Denif’s words.

“You’re right. I’m sorry! I misspoke…! I’ll tell you everything I know!”

It might look servile, but his judgment is good. In fact, criminal organizations in places with monsters aren’t that bad in terms of skill.

He quickly recognized that we, who pushed our way in, were beyond the ordinary category.

“Do you know Namir?”

“Uh, Namir? Do you mean Namir, Harifa’s son?”

I didn’t expect an answer to come out so quickly. Well, he’s a rising star right after the game starts.

Organizations like this in the area would at least know his name.

“Yes, the person who uses curved swords and short bows.”

“Ah, that’s right! What business do you have with him?”

“You don’t need to know that. Do you know where he is?”

“I’m not exactly sure, but…”

As Denif frowned, the leader hurriedly waved both hands.

“I can find him within 10 minutes! If it’s Namir, he’s definitely drinking nearby. Absolutely!”

“Absolutely? How can you be so sure?”

The Namir I knew wasn’t someone who didn’t drink, but he wasn’t such a heavy drinker to warrant such a statement.

The leader looked cautious as he continued.

“Ah, yes. He recently got dumped…”

The answer I heard was far from my expectations. Drinking because he got dumped?

That taciturn Namir who always says “Let’s kill them” got dumped?

I couldn’t imagine it at all. What kind of situation is this?

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